


Valentine Emergencies

by fadeverb



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-13
Updated: 2016-01-13
Packaged: 2018-05-13 20:14:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5715646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fadeverb/pseuds/fadeverb
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steven has found out what Valentine's Day is! On the day of. Time to find a card for Connie, as fast as he can. Isn't it a good thing that he has friends who can help him out?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Valentine Emergencies

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cookinguptales](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cookinguptales/gifts).



The sun shone down on an entirely ordinary morning in Beach City's off-season. Quiet streets and empty sidewalks, with the residents all safely ensconced in their workplaces and schoolrooms.

Except for the one boy running pellmell down the sidewalk toward the car wash.

"Dad! Dad!"

Greg Universe slid out from underneath his van just in time to block his son's incoming rush, and ended up with the boy collapsing over him for his trouble. "Steven, buddy! What is it?"

Steven rolled back to his feet, hands clenched up. "It's an emergency!"

"Is the hand spaceship back?" Greg launched himself upward. "Malachite rising from the ocean? The duct tape not holding? What is it?"

"Dad, it's _Valentine's Day_ ," Steven said. "Sadie and Lars told me about it and I didn't get Connie anything and what if she got me something and her feelings are hurt because I didn't get her anything?"

"Okay," Greg said. "This one I can handle. Get in the van."

#

The convenience store at the gas station had a rack for greeting cards. Steven hit it like Garnet hit volleyballs. "Happy Birthday, Happy Anniversary, Condolences, Happy _Easter_... Where are the Valentine's Day cards?" Cards scattered across the floor behind him. "Happy Valentine's Day! ...to my beloved husband. That's not right."

"Sorry, kid," said the clerk, peering out from behind her magazine, "but it's the day _of_. All the good ones got bought up last week. Why not just do one in construction paper?"

"Con _struction_ ," Steven said, folding his arms. "That's it. I'll build Connie a valentine."

"Back in the van," Greg said. "We can still hit the arts and crafts store before school gets out."

"Dad, no," Steven said. "I have a better idea."

That was usually a sign that things were about to get messy. Messier. Greg stuffed cards back into the rack, and then ran to catch up with his son.

#

The doors of the barn stood open, and voices came drifting out down the hill from within.

"This is inefficient. Our bodies have no need of this 'lunch' or 'snack' you insist on putting inside yourself."

"Efficient isn't everything, P-dot. What's life without snack breaks?"

"More productive."

"You wanna see productive? Look at how many of these I can get in my mouth at once! Bet you can't do as many!"

"I could _too_ , if I wasted all my energy on shifting my voice emission portal--"

"You crack me up, P."

Steven burst inside, and then stopped, hands on his knees, gasping. "Amethyst! Peridot! ...where are Pearl and Garnet?"

"Hunting down parts," Amethyst said. "But I bet they're slacking when they're out of sight, too. Watch this!"

"Ah," Peridot said, dropping the bag of marshmallows in her hands. "Steven. Do you have an urgent message?"

Steven wheezed. "Yes!"

Peridot flinched backward, hands up. "About the cluster?"

"No!" Steven stood up, balling his hands into fists. "I need to make a valentine for Connie before I see her this afternoon!"

Greg reached the door a moment later, panting. "We could still buy construction paper--"

"Paper is a low-durability construction material," Peridot said. "What is this 'valentine' you need to build?"

Steven frowned. "I...think it's a card? Or a heart? Like, a big heart. Sadie and Lars didn't say exactly..."

Amethyst popped into the shape of a heart, complete with pulsing veins. "Hey, look at me, I'm a valentine!" Her eyes blinked across its surface. "Watch out, it's blood time!" Marshmallows sprayed out of the top aorta at Steven and Greg. "Aheheh, gotcha."

"Woah, no," Greg said, raising his hands. "Not that kind of heart. Valentine's Day is all chocolate and cards and heart shapes for the people you love." He made a heart shape with his hands. "That kind. See?"

"What is this 'chocolate'?" asked Peridot, arms folded. "Is it a better construction material than paper?"

Amethyst snorted, popping back into her usual form. "Dude, chocolate is something to eat."

"You say that about everything." Peridot turned to Steven. "So you need an item in the shape of that...hand-configuration...made out of something sturdier than paper, yes?"

"Yes," Steven said. "And it should be red!"

Greg opened his mouth. Shut it again. "Yeah," he said, "close enough. I'd better get back to the car wash."

#

It was somewhere past four o'clock when Connie arrived at the car wash, clutching a pink envelope to her chest. "Hello, Mr. Universe," she said. "Do you know where Steven is?"

Greg checked his watch. "Gosh, I expected him to be here by now. He's probably still at the barn. Get in the van, and we can--" The ground shook beneath the two of them. A seagull flew away from its attempt to devour a quarter glued to the pavement. "What was that?"

A two-legged machine stomped into view. Taller than the van, green, with two enormous claws... one of them holding Steven by the back of his shirt.

Steven waved wildly. "Connie! Sorry I'm late!"

"I told you this would be more efficient than walking," said the green gem inside the machine's cockpit. She deposited Steven on the ground. The robot's other claw swung around to drop a large chunk of metal beside him, cracking the cement. "There. Your heart."

"Thanks, Peridot!" Steven beamed at Connie. "Happy Valentine's Day, Connie!"

"Thank you," Connie said. She held out the envelope, staring at the chunk of metal. It was...heart-shaped, if she looked at it from the right angle, and painted bright red. "I made you a valentine."

"For me?" Steven ripped through the envelope in half a second, and took out the card. "Honey, will you bee mine? Aw, bee jokes! That's great! I, uh." He turned around to look at the heart. "Peridot and Amethyst helped me make it. It's the first valentine I made. Did I do it okay?"

Connie walked around the heart. It was certainly very large. And heavy. And red. "Steven," she said, "it's _amazing_. It's the best valentine I've ever gotten from anyone. Happy Valentine's Day, Steven."

"This is the best valentine _I've_ ever gotten from anyone," Steven said, holding up the bee card. "I'm going to put it on the fridge!"

"I'm going to..." Connie stared at the heart. "I have _no idea_ where I'm going to put this."

#

The youth of Beach City weren't sure where the new public art installation had come from, but most of them agreed it was "pretty groovy" and "better than that statue of the mayor," so after a few opinion polls Mayor Dewey decided it was easier to just leave it where it was.


End file.
